The London Mayor and the French Hooker (rugby style only)

Inviting the irrepressible Boris Johnson -Mayor of London, former political journalist and author of the novel Seventy Two Virgins- always promises some entertaining time… And he didn’t disappoint as guest of honour at the Gala evening of the French Chamber of Commerce, hosted by its President Arnaud Vaissié at the Landmark hotel on 13th of April, with 350 guests in attendance.

The politician started his speech voicing his pleasure to sit next to “the most famous hooker in France” -namely former rugby champion Raphaël Ibanez, who serves as Ambassador for the French Chamber of Commerce.

Mentioning some of the Chamber’s patron members, such as EDF Energy, which provides gas and electricity to over 5.5 million UK customers, the Mayor of London expressed his admiration towards “how brilliant the French have become at getting their hands on British commodities and selling them back to us”.

Another highlight came when, after he told the audience -which included French Ambassador Maurice Gourdault-Montagne- that his grandmother was French, Boris suggested that instead of bickering, France and Britain should “unite against the common enemy, Switzerland, and remind them that Zurich’s nightlife is an oxymoron!” Indeed…

Apart from Boris’ bons mots, the entertainment included a show by magician Marc Spelmann -a favourite with David Cameron and Richard Branson- as well as a tombola with prizes by Chamber’s members such as Club Med, Sofitel, Air France, Tag Heuer, Lalique, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Chivas Brothers, Raymond Blanc, Andaz and Decathlon. Chic-Londres -being tombola-cursed- didn’t get any prize, but had great fun nonetheless, which is a good achievement in itself for a black tie dinner.